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Ludendorff Dictatorship
Erich Ludendorff (9th of April 1865, 6th of February 1919) was the dictator of the German Empire for three years, from his consolidation of power in mid-to-late 1916 until his deposition and death in the March on Berlin. Early Life Ludendorff was born in 1865 in Posen, in a rich Junker family. In 1885, Ludendorff enrolled in the military, quickly rising through the military ranks. By 1914, he, along with Hindenburg, who had just brought himself out of retirement, were effective commanders on the Eastern Front. Military Service With a large numerical disadvantage, Ludendorff was still commited on crushing Russia. The Battle of Königsberg, followed by the Battle of Masurian Lakes and the Battle of Tannenberg dealt devastating blows to the Russian Imperial Army. The Brusilov Line would hold, however, for over a year, causing much stress among the German High Command. With the August Revolution and the subsequent defeat of Russia, Ludendorff's popularity was at such a height he effectively usurped the reins of government. His political ally in Berlin, Hindenburg, dictated the protocol of the Reichstag and relayed all political activites back to Ludendorff. Early Dictatorship Full Article: Ludendorff Dictatorship Early Beginnings Ludendorff's initial dictatorship was fueled by one thing, and one thing only: civilian popularity. Ludendorff's apparent skill at defeating Russia and the quick campaign to subdue France fueled his popularity to heights above both the Kaiser and the SPD. However, when France fell, and the Kaiser began working to undermine Ludendorff, it became clear that he would need some sort of political alliance. The SPD The SPD (Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands), gained the majority in the Reichstag for the first time in German history, despite having the most popular votes for the last twenty years. Wilhelm II had long seen the SPD as a destablizing socialistic force, and had fought against them constantly. But with a common enemy, the SPD and Wilhelm II came to a reluctant comprimise, as the both the Kaiser and the SPD would rather share power than have none at all. The Junkers The Junkers, the aristocratic upper class of the German Empire, was perhaps more afraid of the SPD than either the Kaiser or Ludendorff. The working-class Germans, burdened by the poverty of the British blockade, and the grueling conditions of war, had begun to advocate more and more ferociously for republicanism and socialism. With Kaiser Wilhelm II and the SPD in a sort of political alliance, the Junkers turned to Ludendorff to provide some semblance of stability to Germany. The dictator who began propped up by popular force, was now actively fighting popular will to stay in power. Late Dictatorship Concessions to the Junkers Ludendorff, now allied to the Junkers, not only had a stable source of income to provide for any sort of personal project, he now had some sort of stable power base to consolidate his rule. In July, Ludendorff and Hindenburg established the Reichspolezei and Reichgendarmie, as an internal and auxillary police force for the Reich. In August, puppet chancellor of common birth, Georg Micheals, was replaced with Junker Georg von Hertling, as a more agreeable Chancellor to the Junkers. Hertling and many of the influental Junkers, such as Prince Maximillian and von Bulow, began to see Ludendorff and the Junkers as partners, infuriating Ludendorff. Slow Decline of Influence With Ludendorff refusing to concede any more power to the Junkers, and the populace becoming more and more angry, some prominent Junkers begin to secretly meet with the Kaiser, who promises any defecting Junkers their land and wealth, should Ludendorff be deposed. Ludendorff begins to see the Junker's betrayal as inevitable. Nacht Der Gendarmie Full Article: Nacht Der Gendarmie The 'Night of the Army' begins. The mysterious Reichspolezei and Reichgendarmie deploy across the nation, mostly in Prussia and Bavaria, arresting prominent Junkers and monarchists. Their lands and wealth are directly confiscated by Ludendorff, adding to not the wealth of the state, but his personal inventory. This only serves to infuriate the populace. With most of the Junker aristocracy in jail, the Reichspolezei and Reichgendarmie are elevated to an integral part of Ludendorff's regime. These two agencies are directly in service to the Army, and its commander, Hindenburg. The Dual-Power Begins to Drift At the dictatorship's inception, Ludendorff and Hindenburg worked on a sort of partnership. Ludendorff ran the state, Hindenburg ran the government and army. However, Ludendorff had grown more and more power-hungry. First angering the populace, then crippling the Junkers, Ludendorff began to see Hindenburg as the last available threat to his rule. Ludendorff promoted several beaurecrats to posts within the Reichpolezei, as an attempt to weaken Hindenburg's hold on the army. But these beaurecrats were only promoted on the basis of loyalty; they had very little skill in managing the now-extremely significant offices they held. Ewald von Lochow, one of Ludendorff's few remaining allies, was completely incapable of administrating the larger military beaureucracy. He resigned in less than two weeks, further promoting Ludendorff's agressive rhetoric against Hindenburg. The End of a Dictator The Military Coalition Begins to Form By New Year's 1919, Ludendorff's situation looked grim. He was now abandoned by virtually all of his allies, and the military, aristocracy, monarchy, and people were all working to undermine his rule. On the 19th of Janruary, Kronprinz Wilhelm, previous commander of the German Fifth Army, Lettow-Vorbeck, and Hindenburg had all developed an intense hatred of Ludendorff, and saw the dictatorship as an active threat to their influence. Lettow-Vorbeck had quickly replaced Ludendorff as the most popular of the German Generals. By the Fifth of February, control of the Reichspolezei and Reichsgendarmie had been torn from Ludendorff, who saw these paramilitaries as his key to ruling Germany. The Military Coalition is Dissmissed On the Fifth of February, 1919, Ludendorff dissmissed Hindenburg, Kronprinz Wilhelm and Lettow-Vorbeck from active duty service, officialy 'to give them rest'. The public was perfectly aware of this, however, and called for the Military Coalition to refuse the dismissal. Suprisingly, the three accepted. They would return, that evening, with 2,000 soldiers, marching on Berlin. March on Berlin After being dissmissed from their posts, the three Coalition members demanded that the local garrison of Brandenburg side with them to oust Ludendorff. Most of the soldiers were working-class, many of whom had loyalty or sympathies towards the SPD, who eagerly joined. The March on Berlin began. After crossing the Havel River into Spandau, the German Army began to fight street-by-street to take the city, being feircely opposed by the Reichsgendarmie and Reichspolezei, who were afraid of losing all power if Ludendorff fell from power. The citizens of Berlin sided with the Army, with many citizens attempting to feed German soldiers and nurse ones who were wounded. By sunset on the fifth, the German Army had fought their way into Charlottenburg, suffering heavy losses from rooftop snipers of the Reichspolezei. Nevertheless, the German Army advanced. Street barricades were set up, providing cover as the German Army ran shifts, with soldiers sleeping 4 hours, and manning the barricades the next four. By sunrise on the sixth, a large mob had gathered in the south of the city, in Tempelhof. Wilhelm II and the Reichstag had been locked inside the city. Ludendorff ordered the Reichpolezei to 'kill them all' if the city fell. As the numbers of active Reichspolezei began to dwindle, the remaining Ludendorff-allied forces had retreated to the inner city, hoping to man a defense there. During the evacuation, however, Ludendorff himself was shot by a civilian sniper hiding in the Landwehr Canal. The rest of the Reichpolezei would surrender later that evening, with the last active combatants falling on the Eighth. Aftermath With the surrender of the Reichpolezei, the Reichpolezei and the Reichgenarmie were officialy dissolved. Kronprinz Wilhelm recieved the Iron Cross for his efforts, and Hindenburg was made the honorary Chancellor until the emergency elections could be held in November. Similarly, Lettow-Vorbeck was made a national hero for his efforts, but denied any sort of honor, such as a statue. He would, however, accept the Ludendorff bridge being renamed to the Lettow-Vorbeck Bridge. Many of the Junkers were freed and returned to their previous status, excepting those who had sided with Ludendorff until the Nacht der Gendarmie. Hindenburg's post as commander of the Army was relinquished to Max Hoffman, who would gain credit for victory at the Battle of Tannenberg. The Dictatorship would have a long legacy on Germany, increasing the popularity of the SPD and diminishing the influence the monarch in respect to the Reichstag. Later Chancellor, Fredrich Ebert, became the second-most powerful figure in the German government.